Bab Mansour
The great tiled gate on Place el-Hedim, finished in the 18th century, and the reason most people come.
Fes, Morocco· Concierge · Mon–Sat · 09:00–18:00 GMT+1
Meknes in a morning, from Fes
Meknes is about an hour west of Fes. Sultan Moulay Ismail made it his capital in the late 17th century and ringed it with walls and gates. We drive you there early, walk the imperial city with a licensed guide and have you back in Fes by lunch.
- Private car and driver
- Licensed guide in Meknes
- Back in Fes by lunch
What you'll see
The historic city of Meknes is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The imperial city
Long walls and passages built for Moulay Ismail's court. Your guide tells the story of the sultan who built them.
The royal granaries
Heri es-Souani, the vast storehouses and stables built to feed the court and its horses.
The medina
A smaller, calmer medina than Fes, with a busy market on the way back to the car.
One sultan's capital, an hour from Fes.
Bab Mansour, MeknesHow the morning runs
About five hours, door to door.
Early
Pickup at your riad gate
Your driver collects you and takes the road west across the Saïss plain.
Arrival
Place el-Hedim and Bab Mansour
Your guide meets you at the square in front of the gate.
Mid-morning
The imperial city
Walls, passages and the granaries, at your pace.
Late morning
Through the market
A loop through the medina and its stalls.
Lunch
Back in Fes
Or add Volubilis and Moulay Idriss and make it a full day.
Want more than a morning?
Meknes pairs naturally with the Roman ruins nearby.
Meknes questions
The questions people ask us most before they plan a trip.
How far is Meknes from Fes?
About 60 km, roughly an hour by car on the motorway. That makes a morning visit easy, with time back in Fes for lunch.
Is half a day enough for Meknes?
For the highlights, yes: Bab Mansour, Place el-Hedim, the royal granaries and a walk through the medina. If you'd like to add Volubilis and Moulay Idriss, make it a full day.
Can we visit the mausoleum of Moulay Ismail?
It has been open to non-Muslim visitors in the past, but access depends on restoration work and opening times. We check it for your date.
How much does it cost?
We don't publish prices. The morning is private, with your own driver and guide, and quoted for your date and group.
Tell us your morning. We'll plan Meknes.
- Tell us what drew you in. Your dates, who is travelling and what you want to see.
- A person reads it. We write a day-by-day plan for your group, private or small-group.
- You change anything. Then we confirm the guides, drivers and riads.